Electronic Writer

This clip was not from a harassment in the workplace video. It was our president at the G8 Summit.

Unless, of course, you are the President of the United States of America. Then, you can do anything you want.

Okay–maybe a little one . . . .

“If the president wants to talk about priorities, let’s talk about what is really important to the American people,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California. “I’d rather have a war on cancer than fritter away many more dollars in Iraq.”

“The president is appealing to a very small conservative base of people, his last few friends in the country, to say, ‘I am conservative,'” said Senator Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat involved in mapping the party’s spending strategy. “But the problem is, he is playing with American lives while he sends his message to his friends.”

-New York Times

Steven Colbert runs for President. I LOVE it! Here is the story:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6672.html

And, here is his campaign website:

http://www.colbert08.org/

A lot of people on Capitol Hill liked the Health Care Bill that would cover American children–from both sides of that remarkable political fence that divides American politics.

But, in our current struggle between the Executive Branch on one side of that fence, and Congress on the other, the President vetoed the bill purely as a display of muscle. Here is one Senator’s response.

Why has the obvious has been so hard for our Congress to see? I suppose, when I think about it, there could be a host of things clouding their vision. Regardless of the reasons, I have lamented the Congressional actions (and inactions) over the past 7 years that have discarded our personal freedoms, disregarded our Constitution, and given away the power of the Congressional Branch.

I am not alone. There are plenty of people who cheer and root from the sidelines at the daily headlines, and we are rooting for Congress to do something. We want the underdog to stand up to the bully–to realize that they are not the underdog and that the President is not the bully. There is this brilliant document, called The Consitution, that is both the foundation of our country (also referred to as the “Supreme Law”), and it was composed to ensure the underdog/bully scenario would never come to fruition.

But, these are all things we learned in 3rd Grade. And, unfortunately, the supporters hopes have been dashed to date. To make an analogy: the political landscape in the United States is like watching Sunday football: there are two teams and a third group to resolve disputes (please excuse the crudeness of my analogy). The problem with the current game is that whenever Congress gets the ball, they simply walk over and hand it to the President. “Here–you take this.”

Someone else agrees with me. Mario M. Cuomo, the governor of New York from 1983 to 1995, has written this lovely op-ed in the New York Times titled, “How Congress Forgot Its Own Strength.” It is definitely worth the read . . . .

How Congress Forgot Its Own Strength, by Mario M. Cuomo

There is a fantastic interpretation at The Daily Kos about a consultant who apparently “knows more” than the General who commanded our troops during this conflict.

It is a lovely exchange (sarcasm) . . . and a brilliant interpretation of it (not sarcasm).

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/27/1915/48004